World AIDS Day event at the Royal Society of Arts
Date
Friday 30th November, 2018
Time
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Location
Romney Room, RSA House
8 John Adam St.
Charing Cross
Details
RSA WORLD AIDS DAY EVENT: HIV PAST, PRESENT AND POTENTIAL – TACKLING THE STIGMA
Join the Royal Society of Arts on Friday 30th November to mark World AIDS Day, which takes place 1 December. Together, we’ll continue to raise awareness of the current situation regarding HIV in the UK and to tackle the stigma that continues to surround the condition, building on the memories of those lost to the disease in the past 35 years and looking to the future.
As in many other parts of the world, HIV-related stigma and discrimination prevent many people in the UK from accessing the services they need.
The ‘UK Stigma Index 2015’, a survey of more than 1,500 people living with HIV in the UK, found that a considerable number of people in the UK still hold stigmatising attitudes towards those living with HIV. For example, around one in five people reported being excluded from family events because of their HIV status and 20% reported sexual rejection after disclosing HIV.
Furthermore, a 2014 survey among black Africans living with HIV reported that a third had been discriminated against because of their HIV status. Half of this number said they had been discriminated against by healthcare workers (including doctors, dentists and hospital staff), and as a result, many do not trust in the confidentiality of health services.
With this said, HIV is no longer a risk to most people in the UK if people are regularly tested and are on medication. We will have a panel discussion exploring mandatory testing as a method of reducing stigma.
About the event
Come along and join the discussion: there will be networking from 6pm for a prompt 6:30pm start.
Bridging communities and histories in the UK, we are delighted to bring a line-up of speakers from Positive Allies (Drew Dalton), #AIDSMemoryUK (Ash Kotak), and Ripples from the Edge of Life (Roland Chesters), and feature a short film made by Yi Xie from China, a Master’s student at Northampton University, on the HIV/AIDS situation in China.
Esther Dixon-Williams will be chairing the evening. Esther is a member of the AIDS Action Europe Steering Committee, a Board Director of the European AIDS Treatment Group, and is a UK-CAB Community Representative on several committees in the UK.
Tickets are free but register in advance with Event Brite.
